After the matters at the West District Joint Department were handled, Qin He had several days of leisure.
Qin Yun's leg injury had improved considerably. He could now walk a few steps with crutches without a wheelchair, though he couldn't walk for too long, making the wheelchair a necessity.
Qin He also started to slack off. Her morning sickness had lessened, but she had become very sleepy.
Every morning, Qin He no longer went to Qin Group but stayed home to sleep soundly.
In the bedroom, Qin He turned over and buried her face in the pillow, rubbing it.
The phone on the bedside table rang a few times. Frowning, she reached for it and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hello, this is the Principal's Office of Qingcheng University."
Qingda?
Qin He rubbed her eyes, her voice as usual: "What is it?"
"May I ask if you are Ming Xue's cousin? Ming Xue got into a fight at school, please come and handle it."
Qin He's voice rose a notch: "A fight? With whom?!"
The man on the other end of the line spoke sternly: "With the eldest daughter of the Gu family, Gu Ranran."
Qin He sat bolt upright: "I'll be right there. Please keep an eye on Ming Xue for me."
After changing her clothes and washing her face, Qin He tied her hair into a ponytail and rushed out the door.
As she reached the gate, she ran into Di Shishi, who was delivering documents. Qin He called out to her, "Shishi, take me to Qingda!"
Worried about Ming Xue, Qin He didn't have time to get her car and rode in Di Shishi's Volkswagen to Qingcheng University.
The car was stopped by school guards at the gate. Qin He got out and walked into Qingda, heading for the Principal's Office.
Before entering, she heard Ming Xue's angry voice from inside: "I already said it's not my fault. I was just preparing the fireworks for the school anniversary when I heard someone badmouthing my cousin. Those people spread rumors first!"
A stern male voice rang out: "Someone spoke ill of your cousin, so you beat them up? Do you know you're a student!"
Qin He narrowed her eyes and gently knocked on the Principal's Office door.
The office door opened, and Qin He looked inside.
She had also graduated from Qingda. She recognized the person in front of her, the Director of Qingda's office, who was notoriously sycophantic.
Opposite the Director, Ming Xue gritted her teeth, her pretty face filled with indignation and anger. Seeing Qin He, her expression immediately turned to one of grievance: "Cousin—!"
Qin He responded and entered the room.
On a long bench to the side sat seven or eight girls, all with bruised and swollen faces.
Qin He looked at Ming Xue beside her. Ming Xue had no injuries on her face or body.
Her cousin, well-developed, was over 1.7 meters tall, even taller than her, with neat short hair. Now, she leaned against Qin He like a "little bird."
"Cousin, they had such dirty mouths, I couldn't help myself."
Qin He patted Ming Xue's shoulder. Knowing Ming Xue was unhurt, her heart settled.
However, the Director clearly had no intention of letting Ming Xue off: "You're still feeling wronged?"
Qin He's expression was calm as she stepped in front of Ming Xue: "Hello, Director. I am Ming Xue's cousin. You can speak to me about anything."
The Director sized Qin He up: "You look a bit familiar."
Qin He nodded: "I also graduated from Qingda." It was just that she had been low-key back then, and no one knew she was part of the Qin family.
The Director looked disdainfully at Qin He's casual attire: "By rights, parents should be called for this. You don't look much older than Ming Xue."
"Ming Xue's parents are not in Qingcheng, so I can represent them," Qin He said.
As she spoke, she glanced at Gu Ranran, who sat alone on the far end of the bench. It wasn't the first time Qin He had met Gu Ranran.
Gu Ranran avoided her gaze, not meeting her eyes.
Qin He discreetly looked around, confirming that Gu Ranran had not sustained any serious injuries.
The Director said sullenly from the side: "It's one thing for your sister to hit people, but she also incited Miss Gu to join her in the fight. This warrants a demerit!"
Qin He frowned and turned to look at Ming Xue: "What do you mean, 'joined her'?"
"Ranran and I are good friends. She was also angry when people badmouthed you. We acted together," Ming Xue whispered into Qin He's ear.
Qin He covered her forehead, feeling a bit helpless.
At that time, she had only asked Ming Xue who she fought with. The Director must have misheard it as who she fought *with*.
Qin He looked at Gu Ranran. This little girl had stood up for her. Qin He had to handle this.
Qin He raised her voice: "Gu Ranran, come here."
Gu Ranran hesitated for a few seconds, then silently got up and walked in small steps behind Qin He.
The Director was startled and frowned at Qin He.
"The parents of these injured girls will be here soon. I will try my best to persuade their parents to settle this privately, but two of these girls are daughters of prominent wealthy families in Qingcheng. You should be prepared!"
Qin He's eyes narrowed coldly.
This Director was as annoying as ever. The former principal was fair, but he was clearly not on campus now.
Needing to wait for the parents of the "victims" to arrive, the Director went into the inner office, asking Qin He to wait with Ming Xue and Gu Ranran in the outer office.
In the outer office, Ming Xue was to Qin He's left, Gu Ranran to her right. Di Shishi stood by the bench.
Opposite them on the long bench sat the six injured girls, all with bruises and swellings, glaring resentfully at Ming Xue.
"When my dad gets here, he won't let you off!" a girl, who was being supported by the others and sat in the middle, said angrily.
Qin He glanced at her. The other five girls seemed to defer to her.
Looking at the girl's attire, although still a student, her mix of luxury brands was truly ostentatious.
Ming Xue gritted her teeth: "An upright person fears no slander! You started by cursing, and we only resorted to violence when you pointed fingers at my nose!"
Qin He softly called out to Ming Xue: "Stop arguing."
Gu Ranran, standing beside them, quietly looked at Qin He, her eyes shining.
While waiting for the other party's parents, Ming Xue quietly explained the reason for the fight to Qin He.
Qin He finally understood.
Not long after entering Qingda, Ming Xue had become friends with Gu Ranran. They shared similar personalities and were very close.
For this school anniversary, Gu Ranran and Ming Xue were helping backstage when they overheard a girl badmouthing Qin He.
"That He Shuwan said some really nasty things—" Ming Xue said softly.
Qin He was somewhat surprised. She had offended many people in the business world, but what could these students say about her?
Gu Ranran added: "You have a livestream account called Diligent Little He, right? Shen Yilin is your assistant and the campus heartthrob of Qingda. That He Shuwan has always had a crush on Shen Yilin—"
Ming Xue nodded: "Some of those girls said that you were keeping Shen Yilin. He Shuwan said it wasn't true, that you seduced him or something."
He Shuwan's insults were very unpleasant. Ming Xue didn't want to continue discussing it with Qin He, sitting there with a puffed-up face, glaring at He Shuwan opposite her like a bull.
Qin He narrowed her eyes. So, it had been rumored at Qingda for a long time that Shen Yilin was being kept by her?
Shen Yilin was sensible and steady. He had always treated her like an older sister. Qin He also regarded Shen Yilin as her younger brother. She never expected him to have endured so much gossip without ever mentioning it to her!